FEDERAL HELPDESK AND CALL CENTER NEWS - FEBRUARY 2001

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Happy Valentines' Day to all of you in the Federal Support Community! Below are some items and upcoming events that I hope will be of interest to you.

DC AREA FEDERAL HELP DESK GROUP
It was really great to see some of you at the kickoff meeting of this special interest group (SIG). There was a variety of federal agencies participating. The next meeting is scheduled for late April when officers will be elected. For details, email Dalila.Brosen@ihshelpdesk.com or call her at 732-855-1955. The first meeting was covered by Federal Computer Week for their next print edition.

SPECIAL FED PACKAGE FOR SUPPORT SERVICES CONFERENCE
Support Services Conference is offering a special package for feds who want to attend SSC in Orlando for the two days prior to the Federal Help Desk Forum 2001 at Kennedy Space Center. The two-day registration package is $695 and they can get feds with ID lodging at the Disney Dolphin and Swan Resorts where SSC will be held for $135 per day!If you are interested, contact Leo Surette, Key 3 Media at 781-433-1604. More information on SSC is in the full information on FHDF 2001 at the end of this eletter. There will also be discount Disney World tickets available to SSC attendees -- details are at http://www.ssce.com.

FEDERAL HELP DESK FORUM 2001
Thursday, March 29th is coming fast and I hope you're able to take advantage of this great learning opportunity. It will be held during the ideal time of year to be in Florida, right between spring breakers and summer vacationers! Full details are at the end of this eletter, including my contact information if you have questions. Federal help desk and call center people from a variety of agencies are signed up already, and capacity is limited to 200 preregistrants.

FOSE 2001
If you're in the DC area, you're probably already aware of this free IT event/expo for feds. It will be held March 20-22, 2001 at the Washington, DC Convention Center. Details are at http://www.fose.com.

NEW BBS COMING FOR FEDERAL HELP DESKS & CALL CENTERS
The Information Services Group at the NEXRAD Radar Operations Center will soon set up a Web BBS where federal help desks and call centers can network and exchange ideas and issues on customer support. I'll announce the details in this eletter as soon as it's up and hope you'll find it useful. Stay tuned!

Full Information on Federal Help Desk Forum 2001
Objective: To expand the awareness and use of industry best practices in federal customer support and increase networking and benchmarking in the federal customer support community.
Sponsors: This event is facilitated by the NEXRAD Hotline at the DoC/DoD/DoT NEXRAD Radar Operations Center and hosted by NASA Kennedy Space Center.
Event Summary: Federal Help Desk Forum 2001 will be held from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time on Thursday, March 29th. The program (below) includes two distinguished keynotes, four top support industry leaders speaking on their special areas of expertise, seven case studies presented by help desks and call centers from a variety of federal agencies, and three structured networking breaks for sharing ideas and networking with peers.
Who Should Attend: Federal employees, managers, and COTRs of help desks, call centers, and other customer support operations of all types.
Registration: Preregistration is required at http://www.fedhelpdesk.osf.noaa.gov by clicking on “Register” in red script at top of the page. (NOTE: This site is the home page for the Federal Help Desk Registry which is a free networking directory for federal customer support entities facilitated by the NEXRAD Radar Operations Center.)

Note: A networking dinner group will convene after FHDF 2001 – details to be announced at the event.
Location: The Debus Conference Center at the Visitor Center just outside the entrance to Kennedy Space Center on the Atlantic Ocean about 45 minutes east of Orlando, FL. There are maps and other KSC visitor information online at http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/html/general_info.html, including a map of the visitor center with the Debus Center partially visible at lower left.
Admission: Free for preregistered federal employees, managers, and COTRs of help desks, call centers, and other customer support operations. Lunch and break refreshments will be furnished courtesy of NASA. Capacity is limited to the first 200 preregistered participants.
Lodging Near KSC:
-- Radisson Resort at the Port 321-784-0000
-- Cocoa Beach Hilton Oceanfront 321-799-0003
-- Doubletree Hotel of Cocoa Beach 321-783-9222
-- Holiday Inn/Cocoa Beach Resort 321-783-2271
-- Hampton Inn 321-799-4099
If you plan to also attend the Support Services Conference (details below) or otherwise prefer to stay in Orlando, there is information on hotels there at http://orlando.citysearch.com. There is also a special lodging package at Disney for feds attending SSC, described below.
Transportation: If you are driving to KSC from Orlando, take SR 528 East to SR 407 North to SR 405 East (refer to maps at the KSC web site above). Driving time is about 45 minutes. There are also commercial shuttles available from the Orlando airport to the KSC area -- check with your hotel on schedules and prices when you make your reservation.
Special Topics: Requests to address specific topics or issues submitted in advance to the contact for questions listed below will be routed to the most appropriate speaker. Coverage cannot be guaranteed, but we'll do our best in the time we have!
Additional Opportunity: Support Services Conference, the world’s largest customer support conference, will be held in Orlando during the same week. Details and online registration are at http://www.ssce.com. You are encouraged to attend the full conference if you're interested and your budget permits. If funds are tight, however, you can still learn a lot by registering in advance to attend just the Expo for free, which provides an excellent overview of the latest support technology and automation. FHDF 2001 will overlap the last day of this conference on Thursday. NOTE: SSC is offering a special package for feds to attend the first two days of their conference prior to FHDF 2001 for $695 and they can get feds with ID lodging at the Disney Dolphin and Swan Resorts where SSC will be held for $135 per day! If you are interested, contact Leo Surette, Key 3 Media at 781-433-1604.
Preparation: We suggest attendees come to FHDF 2001 with ideas, practices, and issues to share and compare with peers. Since it will be a full and rather intense day, try to come rested as well.
Questions: Contact Daryl Covey at 405-366-6510 ext 1232 or Daryl.L.Covey@noaa.gov.

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